Our Lincoln Day and Super Tuesday event last night was an unqualified success. We packed the room at the Lion Head. (Maybe we over-packed it a bit).

We heard from WLS-AM’s Dan Proft, the most entertaining and influential conservative in Illinois today, who talked about the state of affairs in Illinois. We heard from 48th Ward GOP Committeeman Adam Robinson, who delivered a powerful talk on Illinois and the Cook County Republican Party’s work this year.

Nobody knew there were this many people fired up about rebuilding the Republican Party in the 43rd Ward. Now it’s time to turn to getting Republicans elected.

Chicago’s first, and only, Republican presidential delegate debate and straw poll will happen Wednesday, March 14, a week before the Illinois primary.

Republican Committeeman Chris Cleveland and the 43rd Ward Republicans have invited representatives of the four remaining Republican candidates to debate and answer questions posed by the audience. Three of the four campaigns have agreed to participate so far. (Update: all four are participating.) This will be one of the few opportunities for rank-and-file Republicans to question the campaigns directly.

After the debate is concluded, there will be a straw poll and the winner will be announced.

The event is free. There will be a cash bar.

Illinois’s 69 delegates are up for grabs in Illinois Republican Primary taking place on March 20th.

“This event will give Chicago residents a rare opportunity to hear directly from the delegates who will vote at the Republican convention, and ask them the tough questions about why their candidate is the best choice for America.”, said Cleveland.

Chris Cleveland is the 43rd Ward’s sitting Republican Committeeman and is currently running for re-election in the same primary.

The event will take place Wednesday, March 14 at the Lion Head Pub, 2251 N Lincoln Ave, 7:00 pm.

It’s not common to use a local party website for philosophical discussions, but an extrordinary piece by John Kass this morning bears a mention. It’s about the Obama Administration’s decision to force Catholic Hospitals to provide birth control.

There is no need to wade into a debate about contraception, abortion, or women’s health. That is not what this is about, and never was. It is about the power and scope of the federal government. As Kass wrote,

So the president’s policy is not only mistaken and insensitive and wrong, it is the perfect expression of everything Americans fear about the ever-increasing federal leviathan.

What we fear is a bureaucracy that by nature can consider neither soul nor sin, but only power and politics presented as reason.

At some point, John Kass will graduate from the ranks of the merely good columnists to the truly great. Maybe not to the Twain or Mencken level, but definitely to the Royko level, if he’s not there already.

And if you’ve ever wondered, “Why do Chicago Republicans even bother to fight?”, well, John Kass just explained it. We fight the leviathan.

The 43rd Ward Republicans are in search of a new home. We’d love to find a space where we could set up desks, phones, and have a genuine place to work. The ideal characteristics of an office: it should in a retail space, in a highly visible, high-traffic area. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should have room for several desks or tables. Parking should be easy and it should be accessible from public transportation.

That sounds expensive, right? Well, it is, so we’re willing to compromise. If you know of a space, please let us know. Particularly if the building owner is a Republican and is willing to cut us a deal. Email any leads to 43rdwardrepublicans (at) gmail (dot) com.

We need more (genuine) Republican judges of election in the 43rd Ward. The deadline is fast approaching. After February 6, the Board of Elections will start filling any empty slots with whoever applies, including Democrats.

A judge of election is one of the people who sit in the polling place on election day. By law, Republicans are entitled to place a certain number of judges, and Democrats get to place their own. A judge is responsible for checking people in, checking their id, giving them a ballot, and making sure it gets fed into the machine properly. A judge is supposed to make sure there are no shenanigans in the polling place.

On January 11, several hundred 43rd Ward residents gathered at DePaul to protest City Council’s proposed ward map. The map was an extreme example of gerrymandering, and broke Lincoln Park into five different wards.

During the hearing, some former Aldermen spoke first, followed by the heads of the seven community groups, followed by Chris Cleveland, representing the 43rd Ward Republicans.

Statement of Chris Cleveland, 43rd Ward Republican Committeeman before the Rules Committee of the Chicago City Council, January 11, 2012

Chicago, IL — Chris Cleveland, a Chicago conservative and entrepreneur, was appointed Republican Committeeman of the 43rd Ward by Sig Vaznelis, Cook County Republican Chairman.

“We need committeemen who will stand up to the Chicago Democratic Machine, and not lay down in front of it.” said Vaznelis, “Chris is that person.”

Chris is a former congressional staffer who has run a number of Political campaigns, including Joe Birkett’s operation in the City of Chicago. In 1999, he ran against 43rd Ward Alderman Vi Daley, taking 34% of the vote. He has also served on the Republican State Central Committee.

“The 43rd Ward is one of the better wards for Republicans,” said Cleveland. “We’ve got a good chance to build a serious organization. “

“We are the 40%”, said Cleveland, noting that the 43rd routinely gives Republican candidates 40% of the vote. “With a little effort, we’ll be over 50%. 2012 may be the best Republican year in our lifetimes, and we’re going to be ready for it.”

The 43rd Ward is a lakefront ward in Lincoln Park. The boundaries are roughly from North Avenue north to Diversey, and from the lakefront west to Sheffield Avenue. It also includes parts of the Gold Coast.

Chris is a graduate of Princeton and the University of Chicago. He is currently CEO of Dieselpoint, Inc., a software company.